A Renewable EnergyJourney in the Pacific

The pursuit of high penetration of renewableenergy in the Pacific involves good planningand skilled navigation to stay safe and on course,and holds the promise of rich rewards.

The island of Yap.

Credit: Entura.

DUSAN NIKOLIC, Contributor

Throughout the Pacific, island communities are embracing
ambitious renewable energy targets, many as high as 100 percent over the next decade or two. This isn’t surprising, given
that these islands are already experiencing significant climate
change impacts, and recognize the environmental benefits of
reducing or replacing carbon-intensive diesel power generation.

There are also sound economic benefits to reducing reliance on expensive diesel fuel, which remains the single largest
expense for power generation in these remote locations.

The answer to meeting targets, while also reducing car-bon emissions and costs, lies in power systems that use onlyrenewable energy. However,transitioning to higher levelsof renewable energy in powersystems requires confidencethat the renewables can pro-vide the energy security, self-sufficiency and system stabil-ity required by these remotecommunities.

Renewable energy technologies may pose some challenges for reliability and quality
of power supply, but reme-dies can be found in enabling
technologies. In an isolated
power system, matching the
renewable technologies with
the right enabling technologies at the right moment needs
detailed planning.

Every Journey Needs a Map
Entura has been helping a
number of Pacific island communities embark on their
renewable energy journeys.
Through this experience,
we’ve developed a map of the
key stages of the journey: